What if Time was not a Singular being, but an entity with plurality? What if Time were not linear? And what if Time were unaware-- the idea having never crossed it's mind --of those concepts we call past, present, and future?

What if Time were but a tool in the hands of a mad god? That like a cloth it is composed of both warp and weft and so could be manipulated to the designs of the weaver. If Time is but a thread in a bit of cloth then it traces itself back and forth over the same ground, building upon itself until the resulting weave becomes a pattern of infinite complexity.

For someone who stands outside of Time and not bound by it's constraints, the fabric of Time might seem a beautiful thing, a fitting garment for a god, such as one who might use Time to torment the soul bound by the constaints of passing Time. Might not even Santa then be able to deliver gifts to every child, for every year that they believe in him, in one single night?

If Santa were the shuttle moving through the warp and weft of Time, and because it is but one nights' work-- however long the night --what would it do to the mind of a man so cursed?

The Following is a poem about just such a man; doomed to fly throughout one eternal and torturous night, unable to catch the sun, and slowly going insane.

Reader Beware: It's a long read. 13 stanzas of 13 lines each.

"The Patron Saint"

It will never end...the tearing of veilsRipping the fabric of space and timeHis dementia unbound~This mad eternal journeythis single nightthis one endless nightfor the patron saint of insanityTattered vermilion, sooted ermineand the wailing and biting of winds~Their moaning and screamingin ears that have forgotten the soundOf human voices and laughter

It will never end...this tearing of veilshis own mind~"Why? Oh, what and how is the when and where of my purpose?Forever drawn, hungryand thirsting for answers?"And the Patron Saint screamsand screaming cracks the whip in his hando'er the heads of eight demon stagtheir cloven hooves clickingdrawing sparksupon the plane of this one endless night

It will never end...the tearing of fabric~There is but one boltand Hell hath pervertedboth weft and warpAnd the Patron Saint, the shuttleby which the mirth of children wove"Just once!" screaming to whatever god will listen"Just once to plunge knives into breasts!"His madness but a petty gods' whimand knives but whimsiespulled from the sack

It will never end...his madness, the voyage, the whimsies~Flying madlyrooftop to rooftopthe cold death of winterburning madness to the boneAnd if veils be tornthey are certainly torn here~The agonizing press of turgid fleshforced through pipes and chimneysfeeling scrape of skin on stoneAnd the imperfection of steelgouging flesh

It will never end...the similarities ~ the sameness of it allEvergreen false or trueMilk and cookies"No feast there!"Only scents seem to changePheromones ~ joy, sadness and decayeven fear, that tooFor the patron saint of insanityno choice exists but to enterthrashing and screamingin mindless horror into every denand another veil torn

It will never end...the sack gorging on whimsiesEver full~relentlessly soand bulimically poisedroutinely vomiting ‘neath each dead or dying treeto the delight of starving ingratesyoung, and old alikeand blissfully unawareof the patron saintthe mad endless voyageand insanity

It will never end...the tearing of veilsquickening dementia and slipping unseen into havens washed cleana standard 'gainst the intrusion of madness~But there he stands"How many more?"the patron saint screams"Will not anyone wake?"voice tortured and desperatepoised over the simplicity of sleepBut none ever do

It will never end...and peering into the sackfor knife or axepoison or gunand the sack smiling, mockinghideously laughing~continuing it's vomitous endeavorto fill each sock to bursting~candied canesgingerbreads and whimsiesAnd the patron saint screams again"Awake! Fire! Foe! Awake I say!"Yet like graining sacks of rot, none ever do

It will never end...the curse never liftedTo each houseten times ten-thousand times, andthe gluttonous child ungrateful, never sated~"Perhaps this child will diethat I need never visit here again!"But the veil is already tornand each one deadsees ten more born in its place…The curse calls to him pulling him up through the pipes, to the sleighand the stamping hooves of reindeer dead

"Will it never end?"the patron saint screamsinsanely and joyously cracking his whipand the mad voyage beginning anewweeping to freezeAnd burning the mask of his flesh~Cackling and crackingcracking and cacklingendlessly moving between the weaveof dusk and dawn~the sun become a fable"Yessss! The sun! I must catch the sun!"whilst cracking the whip to shatter the night

"It will never end...this one maddening night"But a light glimmers in a crazed eyeand screaming, sings out"On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!On Dasher! On Dancer! On Prancer and Vixen!Catch the sun! Catch the day!Dash away, Damn you all! Dash a-way!"The horizon brightens ~ fingernail thinKnuckles whiten then crack and bleedand gleaming hope blistering withinbut the curse pulls him screamingInto darkness ~ and down again

No, it will never end...Another rooftopanother veil tornanother vomitous endeavor in hand~The sack fulland the patron saint despairingpulled screaming downthrough pipes dark and cruelto the heart of hearth and homeand the sickening taste of milk and cookieswishing for but a lone sharp knifethe sack retching and purgingits ribbons and bows

And so it never ends...soon it's back to the sleighto eight demon stagthe tearing of veils~and hope rekindled in the heart of the patron saint of insanityThe cracking of whipsthe mad chase through winter skiesfreezing windsand biting coldto catch the sun and end it alland screaming in rage "Damn you all and to all a good night!"

Brilliant piece of one-sided journalism. But that's fair; it's the story Joe Wilson wanted to tell. It's the story Ed Bradley wanted to tell. It's the story CBS wanted to tell. Hell, it's even the story the CIA wanted to tell.

What happened to the "60 Minutes" of old? The one that never gave its subject a free ride?

In regard to the whole WMD debate; whether or not Iraq had them, and whether or not Iraq sought to buy yellow cake from Niger, I'm left with a dilemma. Who to believe?

Consider Joseph Wilson's OpEd in the LA Times this morning... "Our 27 Months of Hell." Here are a few choice quotes. First, the preamble...

"After the two-year smear campaign orchestrated by senior officials in the Bush White House against my wife and me, it is tempting to feel vindicated by Friday's indictment of the vice president's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby... But on July 14, 2003, our lives were irrevocably changed. That was the day columnist Robert Novak identified Valerie as an operative, divulging a secret that had been known only to me, her parents and her brother... It was payback -- cheap political payback by the administration for an article I had written contradicting an assertion President Bush made in his 2003 State of the Union address...."

[Emphasis Mine]

"Why did I write the article? Because I believe that citizens in a democracy are responsible for what government does and says in their name. I knew that the statement in Bush's speech -- that Iraq had attempted to purchase significant quantities of uranium in Africa -- was not true. I knew it was false from my own investigative trip to Africa (at the request of the CIA) and from two other similar intelligence reports. And I knew that the White House knew it...

"Going public was what was required to make them come clean. The day after I shared my conclusions in a New York Times opinion piece, the White House finally acknowledged that the now-infamous 16 words "did not rise to the level of inclusion in the State of the Union address..."

"The attacks on Valerie and me were upsetting, disruptive and vicious. They amounted to character assassination. Senior administration officials used the power of the White House to make our lives hell for the last 27 months...

"But more important, they did it as part of a clear effort to cover up the lies and disinformation used to justify the invasion of Iraq. That is the ultimate crime."

Let's turn now to Former President Clinton who said the following...

Larry King Live, July 7, 2003.

KING: President [Clinton], maybe I can get an area where you may disagree. Do you join, President Clinton, your fellow Democrats, in complaining about the portion of the State of the Union address that dealt with nuclear weaponry in Africa?

CLINTON: Well, I have a little different take on it, I think, than either side.

First of all, the White House said -- Mr. Fleischer said -- that on balance they probably shouldn't have put that comment in the speech. What happened, often happens. There was a disagreement between British intelligence and American intelligence. The president said it was British intelligence that said it. And then they said, well, maybe they shouldn't have put it in.

Let me tell you what I know. When I left office, there was a substantial amount of biological and chemical material unaccounted for. That is, at the end of the first Gulf War, we knew what he had. We knew what was destroyed in all the inspection processes and that was a lot. And then we bombed with the British for four days in 1998. We might have gotten it all; we might have gotten half of it; we might have gotten none of it. But we didn't know. So I thought it was prudent for the president to go to the U.N. and for the U.N. to say you got to let these inspectors in, and this time if you don't cooperate the penalty could be regime change, not just continued sanctions.

I mean, we're all more sensitive to any possible stocks of chemical and biological weapons. So there's a difference between British -- British intelligence still maintains that they think the nuclear story was true. I don't know what was true, what was false. I thought the White House did the right thing in just saying, Well, we probably shouldn't have said that. And I think we ought to focus on where we are and what the right thing to do for Iraq is now. That's what I think.

KING: What do you do, Mr. President, with what's put in front of you?

CLINTON: Well, here's what happens: every day the president gets a daily brief from the CIA. And then, if it's some important issue -- and believe me, you know, anything having to do with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons became much more important to everybody in the White House after September the 11 -- then they probably told the president, certainly Condoleezza Rice, that this is what the British intelligence thought. They maybe have a difference of opinion, but on balance, they decided they should leave that line in the speech.

I think the main thing I want to say to you is, people can quarrel with whether we should have more troops in Afghanistan or internationalize Iraq or whatever, but it is incontestable that on the day I left office, there were unaccounted for stocks...

DOLE: That's right.

CLINTON: ... of biological and chemical weapons. We might have destroyed them in '98. We tried to, but we sure as heck didn't know it because we never got to go back in there.

KING: Yes.

CLINTON: And what I think -- again, I would say the most important thing is we should focus on what's the best way to build Iraq as a democracy? How is the president going to do that and deal with continuing problems in Afghanistan and North Korea?

We should be pulling for America on this. We should be pulling for the people of Iraq. We can have honest disagreements about where we go from here, and we have space now to discuss that in what I hope will be a nonpartisan and open way. But this State of the Union deal they decided to use the British intelligence. The president said it was British intelligence. Then they said on balance they shouldn't have done it. You know, everybody makes mistakes when they are president. I mean, you can't make as many calls as you have to make without messing up once in awhile. The thing we ought to be focused on is what is the right thing to do now. That's what I think.

How utterly refreshing. And how utterly strange that the media seems to have conveniently forgotten former President Clinton's appearance of Larry King Live. Regardless of what I feel about him personally, he was the President of the United States, and as such, is still in the loop-- ex-President's are kept in the loop; they get briefings all the time, and Clinton's take on the whole situation is far more relevant than Mr. Wilson's.

What Mr. Wilson felt he had to gain by falsifying his report, I can't say, though it is indisputable he first told one story-- that the charges surrounding Saddam and Niger were credible --then changed that story in an OpEd for the N.Y. Times. If the White House did indeed sic the attack dogs on Wilson and Wife, and did indeed knowingly out a CIA operative, heads should definitely roll... whoever it is. But Mr. Fitzgerald didn't bring a single indictment against that charge. It is still unclear whether or not Valerie Plame was even covert at the time. There are still questions as to when she was actually outed, and whether or not it was actually the Wilson's themselves who did the outing.

But as to who has the most relevant perspective on those "infamous 16 words" I'll take Clinton's over Wilson's any day of the week. President Clinton has far more credibility.

...Than to allow Rosa Parks' mortal remains to lie in state in the Rotunda at this nation's Capitol? President Clinton presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996, and in 1999 she was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. What higher honor can this nation give to a woman who refused to move to the back of the bus?

"Mister" Carmel, a senior leader of [al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades] the terror group reportedly involved in the attack on a Hadera open-air market, claims the blast just north of Tel Aviv was "legitimate" because all Israelis are "military targets, they are not civilians."

"As long as Israelis do not react against their government and its policy, we will never consider them as innocent civilians and they will always be a legitimate goal for our attacks... Only the Palestinians, who get killed every day, are innocent civilians."

Talk about Hypocrisy!!!

Oh! And for those of you who care about such niceties... The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the military wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party.

Ain't that nice? President Abbas is associated with Terrorists. Now, what makes him any better than Yasser Arafat?

Responding to yesterday's homicide bombing in Hadera, and continued rocket attacks into Israel from the recently abandoned Gaza Strip, IDF forces are amassing along Gaza's border. It is considered doubtful that Sharon will actually call for the IDF to enter Gaza, but this demonstration of resolve is exactly that-- a demonstration to terrorists that if they continue down their present path, Israel will be forced to re-enter Gaza.

Israel should never have left. Israelis know better than anyone else that Palestinians [Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al Aqsa's Martyrs Brigade] only care about killing Israelis. These Islamists view any act of capitulation as a sign of weakness. And no one respects weakness.

Israel is going to have to fight to keep what's hers. And sooner or later Palestinians will have to accept Israels right to exist. It's either that or continue to lose sons and daughters to a pointless... truly pointless war.

Attack 1: Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, made a number of verbal attacks against Israel during a conference today in Tehran, entitled "The World Without Zionism." Addressing some 4,000 students he also called for Palestinian unity, and the ultimate destruction of Israel.

"The establishment of the Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor [the United States] against the Islamic world..."

"The skirmishes in the occupied land are part of a war of destiny. The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land..."

"As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map..."

"The Islamic umma [community] will not allow its historic enemy to live in its heartland."

"We should not settle for a piece of land..."

"Anyone who signs a treaty which recognizes the entity of Israel means he has signed the surrender of the Muslim world."

"Any leaders in the Islamic umma who recognize Israel face the wrath of their own people."

"One hundred years ago the last trench of Islam fell, when the oppressors went towards the creation [of] the Zionist regime. It is using it as a fort to spread its aims in the heart of the Islamic world."

Attack 2:Hadera, Israel--

"Islamic Jihad" claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in Israel in more than 3 months. Hassan Abu Zeid, 20, of the West Bank town of Qabatiyeh, walked up to a Falafel stand in a crowded market and blew himself up, killing 5, and wounding 21.

" "All the stalls alongside just fell apart. The windows are all broken. It looks like a war was here," he said. "This is a very crowded place, very central place. We never expected that this would happen. We thought our world was good but apparently we were wrong.

"The market was bustling a day after being closed for the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah."

The Target of Both Attacks:Innocent Israelis. 5 dead. 21 wounded. All noncombatants.

Critics of Israel will quickly point out that this is no different than what the Israeli government via its military is doing to the Palestinian people. But today's victims were soft targets. The aim of the homicide bomber was soft targets. No military checkpoint or installation was targeted, it was a falafel stand. Soldiers weren't targeted, civilians were. It wasn't a military barracks, it was a market.

Critics will again point to all the Palestinian civilians killed in Israeli raids, but how many of those raids were aimed at civilians? None, that I'm aware of. Israel tries to attack pre-emptively; taking out militia leaders, bomb-makers, terrorists. Innocents die in all armed conflicts, but Muslim "freedom-fighters" seem to delight in attacking innocents.

I don't want to believe the worst of Muslims, but what other example are they offering the world? They aren't trying to rein in the fanatics. And yes, that's a fair description. Anyone who would do murder because of a perceived slight to one's religion is a fanatic. Did Theo van Gogh deserve the death he received at the hands of a Muslim fanatic?

But Israel is sitting on stolen lands, some will say. Say's who? The middle east was ruled by the Turks for centuries until World War I, when the empire fell, at which point people began jockeying for land and borders. Why is Israel not entitled to the same? They've lived there for centuries... Millenia. Besides which, if Israel had been allowed to keep what she was initially promised by the compact that parceled out the land, she'd be sitting on far more than she now is.

The Palestinian people do not want peace. I imagine the mothers of slain children do. But women don't control anything in Islamic culture; the men do. And the men are interested only in seeing Israel utterly destroyed. Israel wants peace. Israel is willing to sacrifice land and security for peace. Palestine wants Israel to die as a nation, to the very last man, woman and child.

Critics will point to the U.S. and say she is wrong for invading, wrong for supporting Israel, wrong for killing Muslims. As to killing... All killing is fundamentally wrong. But when two or more unruly children begin throwing rocks at each other on the school playground, it becomes the responsibility of more mature individuals to step in and put a stop to it. Islam can't play nice with it's neighbors, near or far. Islam needs to straighten out its leaders, chastise its bullies, and begin teaching its children to share. The playground is getting pretty crowded, and without a lot of mutual sharing, this playground will remain a battlefield, until such time our children tire of war and bloodshed. And how many will have to die to reach that day?

CNN, perhaps knowing they'd be unable to squeeze anything of relevance from the "Hate-Bush" carcass today, prepared perhaps the most irrelevant bit of caca to date in the form of a Poll. Gotta have news, right? And if pickings are slim, just make it up! So here's the link--

Bush would lose an election... to Democrats... Really? And, um... why would he be running? He can't run for President a 3rd time; the 22nd amendment killed any hope of a 3rd term. And why... no, really! Why would George W. Bush run for any office after serving as President of the United States of America? It's simply not done!!!

The MSM is desperate for Bash-Bush fodder to keep the blue-painted faces of their unwashed barbarian hordes in their continued state of frenzied "frothing-at-the-mouth" hatred for G.W.Bush. The media is out of control. Completely out of control. They are not interested in fairness. Only a deluded fool would argue the point. They care about only one thing... Destroy all Rebublican's! Destroy all Conservatives!! Destroy all Christians!!! Destroy !!!Destroy !!!!Destroy!!!!!!!MWAH HA HA HA HA HA Ha Ha ha haaaw!!![robotic arms maniacally flailing about]

I Spent some time this morning looking for more information on the "Exterminate White People" remarks made by Mr. Kambon. His remarks were made before a Howard University Law School panel, in Washington DC. As I know BenT likes coroboration & multiple sources, I thought I'd offer some.

The fact that this story didn't make news has, I think, both good and bad points. As to the good, why give this kind of madness a microphone? Really? Why give his words any more credence than C-SPAN has-- though in C-SPAN's defence, their policy is to let the camera roll, and whatever happens, happens... The Eye see's what it see's; it does not lend credence, and neither does C-SPAN. My bad.

As to the bad, it is never a good idea to let something as egregious as Dr. kambon's evil plan go unchallenged. People need to be aware of the kind of hate that festers in the minds of men... the kind of hate that surrounds us all. Furthermore, the fact that I had to go to a White Supremacy website to get the audio clip is telling. If the only people speaking out against this hate-monger are hate-mongers of a differen't stripe-- No, strike that. White Supremists and the like's of Dr. Kambon are cut from the same bolt of cloth, and no better than Hitler himself, or any other genocidal maniac --suffice it to say, it's never a good idea to let evil men control an argument, any argument, or issue.

Dr. Kamau Kambon, if he truly wishes to exterminate the White Race, should call all black scientists, micro-biologists, and as many other "-ologists" it would take to create a virus that would attack only those who carry the gene (assuming such a one exists) that identifies an individual as White, or "Caucasian." How else will this man exterminate every single white on the face of the planet?

The only problem I see with the solution I've offered is inter-breeding. Since whites have co-mingled with blacks for centuries, how many Blacks would have a recessive "white-gene" mixed in with their genetic code? [assuming such a thing is even possible. I'll defer to SternumDrill on this point] And how many Blacks would die in the process?

There's a lot of idiots out there who want to equate George W. Bush with Hitler. Notice I used the word Idiots. "Doctor" Kamau Kambon's vision surpasses even that of Hitler! Which makes him an idiot of Stupendous proportions. Where Hitler would have killed only Jews, and Genetic Defects... Kambon would kill Billions, including many of his own race. Talk about a Scorched-Earth policy! Kambon is an idiot, and should himself be safely put to pasture. He should not be allowed to breed and spead his diseased philosophy, though I am quite sure it's far too late for that.

Idiocy, and Ignorance, twins from the same blighted womb, are more than simply dangerous, they are among the prime ingredients of every evil that ever perpetrated itself on the world.

I opened my eyes in time to hear an anchor relate the following statement, presented by Dr. Kambon, at the "Black Media Forum on Image of Black Americans in Mainstream Media" on the eve of the Millions More March...

"And we have to start thinking about a solution to the problem. So that these young sisters and brothers are here now, who are 15 16 17 are not here 25 years later talking about these same problems.

"Now how do I know that the white people know that we are going to come up with a solution to the problem. I know it because they have retina scans, racial profiling, DNA banks, and they’re monitoring our people to try to prevent the ONE person from coming up with the ONE idea. And the one idea is, how we are going to exterminate white people because that in my estimation is the only conclusion I have come to. We have to exterminate white people off the face of the planet to solve the problem. Now I don’t care whether you clap or not but I’m saying to you that we need to solve this problem because they are going to kill us. And I will leave on that. So we just have to set up our own system and stop playing and get very serious and not get diverted from coming up with a solution to the problem and the problem on the planet is white people."

Oddly enough-- and many apologies --this audio file is located at a website that promotes White Supremacy. I can't find any other site that has this little tidbit readily available. You could go to C-SPAN, but you'd have to sit through 3+ hours of other "stuff" just to find it. For those who may be wondering, I do not subscribe to the Aryan philosophy. I personally find it abhorrent.

"I am a writer... Only if my book sells well enough to earn back its advance will I make additional money, but the law of copyright assures me of ongoing ownership. With luck, income will flow to my publisher and me for a long time, but if my publisher loses interest, I will still own my book and be able to make money from it."

"Now that the Authors Guild has objected, in the form of a lawsuit, to Google's appropriation of our books, we're getting heat for standing in the way of progress, again for thoughtlessly wanting to be paid. It's been tradition in this country to believe in property rights. When did we decide that socialism was the way to run the Internet?"

"The value of Google's project notwithstanding, society has traditionally seen its greatest value in the rights of individuals, and particularly in the dignity of their work and just compensation for it."

Personal Note: Look, I know folks who download/pirate protected works. And honestly, I never used to think of it as theft. Some of the stuff available for download isn't even in print or available for media. Music, for example. The classic Buckingham Nicks album [the work that gained them entrance into Fleetwood Mac] isn't available on LP, Cassette, or CD. It was released for a limited time on CD, 1 or 2 years, but then it disappeared. If you want that album you have to hope you can out bid someone on eBay, last time I tried I lost out and the LP went for somewhere in the neighborhood of $160! That's right, $160 for a piece of vinyl that, brand new, didn't cost more than $12. And you can bet neither Lindsey Buckingham nor Stevie Nicks saw one penny from that sale. Everyone else has to hope they can find it online and download the album. A very good listen, by the way.

In situations like this I can see a "public domain" argument, though the Music Industry would scream otherwise. But when it comes to "fresh" tunes and movies-- no arguments here --it is stealing, plain and simple. And yet, for some reason, Google seems to think an author's work isn't comparable to, nor comparably protected, as a musicians works.

Is this another face of Eminent Domain? Theft for the public good? Authors better hope this issue never gets to today's U.S. Supreme Court. They just may come away from the experience birched and bereft.

"And lest you imagine that the project for which your home or business could be torn down would be something of great public purpose, such as a hospital, a school, or a missile silo, think again. It is far more likely, given the current pattern of economic development takings in this country, that your home or business would be replaced by a spate of condominiums, with an office park, a marina, and a big-box retail store thrown in — all of them built, operated for profit, and owned by private parties."

"The dissenters, led by Justice O’Connor, seemed alarmed by the potential for cherry-picking of individual properties, as well as by the facts laid out in the amicus briefs detailing the disparate impact of such takings on the poor and minorities. O’Connor argued that the majority’s holding essentially rendered the public use clause of the constitution meaningless."

"The city, sore winners, slapped a bill for unpaid “rent” on the Kelo homeowners, reasoning that since petitioners lost the case, they have effectively been living in city-owned property for several years now. Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, has called for a moratorium on takings until the legislature can consider a pending bill on the subject. The city of New London has become embittered, to say the least."

Personal Note: This case is still so shocking to me, anything I add here would be over-kill. Though I must say I hope the petition to collect Justice Souter's home via the New & Improved Eminent Domain is successful. It needs to be shown to these "men" how their rulings affect the average citizen. I would love to see Justice John Paul Stevens' home targeted as well.

Victor Davis Hanson, a writer who breaks the mold when it comes to writers, has offered a comparison both compelling and startling in his latest article for the LA Times. "Battles Change, Wars Don't" is yet another example of one who has mastered the Art of Reason. I used to believe that the nature of war changed as technology progressed, and I had what I thought were compelling arguments to support that belief, but this article shatters them all quite nicely.

One notable quote:

"War is like water — its fundamental character remains unchanging precisely because the nature of the humans who fight it is constant over the centuries. True, the pump — the delivery system of flint, arrows, firearms, nuclear bombs, guided missiles and satellite weapons — radically changes the face of battle with each generation. But the essence of war nevertheless stays the same,..."

Mr. Hanson only confirms a suspicion I've had for the last three or so months... Victory in this War on Terror, is not at all assured. We could easily lose this endeavor if our attention wavers in the least, or we lose perspective... Or if we become too proud, and discount the enemy's capability.

"Tell a big enough lie and it will become its own truth. At the Million Man March, Farrakhan presented a piece of "truth" that had been hidden from black people."

"The Nation of Islam, when Malcolm X was alive, and when its founder, Elijah Muhammad, called the shots, prided itself on revealing the truth to "so-called Negroes" who were deaf, dumb and blind to their history."

"Fast forward to 2005. The mad scientist is no more, but the William Lynch lie continues, permeating the fabric of modern-day black society."

Personal Note: This article further illustrates just how dangerous Louis Farrakhan is. Charisma is a frightening weapon in the hands of a lunatic.

Take one provocative article, and choose 3 provocative quotes. Provide a link to the article in all its contextual glory, and offer a short but concise personal note at the end.

A nice recipe, but then, isn't that what the professionals pretty much do? Think about it, each article has about 3 to 5 clever turns of a phrase that illustrate the intent and purpose of the article, supporting its subject. The rest is just contextual filler. This of course isn't true of all writers, but I'm beginning to see just how many writers this recipe describes to a tee.

I've finished my second reading of Robert Jordan's "Knife of Dreams," book 11, and the latest volume in his proposed 12 volume series, "The Wheel of Time."

Tolkien created the genre-- or rather, crystallized it, giving it a recognizable form and direction. But Jordan has, with this series, established himself as heir-apparent to the Master's legacy.

Sometimes I wish I was a slow reader-- in truth, I'm slower than most I know, but even though it took me just 7 days to read a 750 page tome, twice, I'm now left with the realization that I will have to wait-- at bare minimum --30 months for the last and supposedly final book in this series. In Mr. Jordan's own words...

"...Even if it takes 1,500 pages to finish it."

A big book to be sure, though I suspect Jordon's final volume will be a less tiresome read than Victor Hugo's unabridged Le Miserable, which is a mere 36 pages shy of that mark!

Remember back in the sixties seeing the phrase "Frodo Lives!" scrawled in the oddest places? I can see it now, in the most unexpected places...

Feedback is important. Traffic is one thing, everyone who blogs wants traffic, but feedback is what's most important. Ten thousand surfers can venture to a site and read the various opinions offered there, but without comments the blogger is left unchallenged, and unchanged.

Everyone is on a journey, whether they choose to characterize it as such, or not, is irrelevant. Choice doesn't change the fact that from the moment we were squeezed out from between out mother's legs our feet were set upon a path... a journey. "Dead Can Dance" describes it as an... "Odyssey of Self-discovery," and that's as apt a description I've ever come across. Every day we make choices, and each of those choices open new doors, while simultaneously closing others. There is no such thing as procrastination in the sense of choice. "Rush" describes this in one line of lyric... "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."

Choosing to blog, I thought in the beginning, would be an interesting experiment; something to keep my mind fresh, which would in turn help me to develop a habit of writing everyday-- A habit and skill I need if I intend to finish my take on the "Great American Novel."

What I've come to realize is, without visitors who comment, the only thing I learn is a "habit" that may or may not help me to grow. Without an editor I am left to work unchallenged, I do not benefit from anyone else's experience or insight. Likewise, in blogging, without comments the blogger is unchallenged, and left to run amok.

We, each of us, think the way we do because, as Pink Floyd declares on their album, "A Momentary Lapse of Reason"... "I have always looked out from behind these eyes..." It's always been "I, Me, Mine" [that's George Harrison, by the way].

Without comments, our thinking is unchecked and unruly, running roughshod over any truth we, in our lack of experiences-- and we all have them --are ignorant of. Comments force us to think, respond to criticism, and challenge us to look out from behind someone else's eyes.

While some comments make us angry, we should be thankful for them. How else does a child learn to speak, but by listening? How else does a child learn, but by observing? It is so easy to forget that only we can see, hear, feel, what we do. It is the purpose of Rhetoric-- the fine art of communtication via language --to express our experiences to others. And it is our duty, as ever-learning creatures, to accept criticism or praise, and grow from the exchange.

The uncommented blogger is a blistering desert of checked thought. So, when you come across a blog, make an effort to comment. You'll never come away unscathed, but that's a good thing.

Found this on Boortz.com from one of the writers of The Fair Tax Book:

Thank you for coming by my webpage to show your enthusiasm for the FairTax. This effort to abolish the IRS, save American jobs, and rescue the American economy can only happen with your and your neighbor's support, so please know how grateful I am for your interest.

Today I am writing with just a brief update about where the FairTax stands. These last two months have been as exciting as any that we have had with the FairTax, and you are a big part of it. I have always said that the FairTax will never win alone in Washington, D.C.; instead, the FairTax will win among Americans in living rooms and at kitchen tables across this country, and the American voter will then demand action in Washington, D.C.

In the last two months, the FairTax has put a book atop the New York Times Bestsellers list and generated unprecedented grassroots support across the nation. That grassroots support is now paying dividends in Washington, D.C. In the last 45 days we have added a record six new Congressmen and one new Senator as supporters and cosponsors of the H.R. 25/S. 25, the FairTax bill in Congress. Perhaps it was your phone call or letter to one of these offices that made the difference, so let me list the names of these new supporters below:

As you can see, these members come from all parts of the country, and they have added their names to the FairTax not because I asked them to but rather because you and your neighbors-their constituents-asked them to. This is how the FairTax will come to pass in Congress.

As of today, the FairTax has a combined 46 Congressional cosponsors in the House and Senate-more cosponsors than any other fundamental tax reform bill-and with your help, I am certain that we will add even more before the year ends.

Let me say it again: only with your support have we achieved this much, and only with your continued enthusiasm will we ultimately succeed. Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors and tell your coworkers. Tell anyone who will listen that the American voter is running this country and that Washington will respond to the voter's demands. If your neighbor doesn't believe it, tell them this:

From mid-May of this year through the end of September-more than four months-not a single member of Congress added his or her name to the FairTax bill. Yet, in just the last 45 days, amid a flurry of constituent phone calls, letters and town hall meetings, seven Congressmen and Senators have asked that their names be added. Why? Because politicians will listen to you! Keep talking.

Thank you again for visiting my webpage, and feel free to forward this email to anyone who you believe will find it useful. Come back anytime to linder.house.gov or fairtaxnow.org, and, together, we will make tax reform a reality.

Thank you,

John Linder

I am becoming more and more hopeful that the FairTax will see passage. There's not a huge following yet, but I'm confident that the more people who learn of it, will support it and demand their congressmen and senators support it as well. We own this country, not career politicians or special interests.

Don't know what the Fair Tax is? Read the Book. If you don't like it, you must be a Democrat, or you haven't bothered to read the book... or both.

A comment I left at the LiberalLoather may not reflect the truth about Iraq's ability to create a new nation to the same degree postwar Japan has. As Michael Rubin points out in his OpEd at OpinionJournal dot com [fair warning: free, but tiresome registration required],

"Cameras and reporters do not lie, but they do not always give a full perspective. Political brinkmanship devoid of context breeds panic. Beheadings and blood sell copy, but do not accurately reflect Iraq."

Personal Note: For my part, I would have left out "reporters." They, like all of us, cast shadows in the noonday sun, and therefore are quite capable of lying... but hey! That's me.

But it's worth pointing out that Americans generally do not always get an accurate picture of the world and other cultures. Media in America is a polarized, and polarizing institution, driven by Politics and Ideology more than an earnest desire to report the truth.

Fox News comes the closest to "Fair and Balanced" however much some claim to the contrary. For the most part these detractors will point to pundits like Hannity, O'Reilly, and others, while not bothering to include the likes of Chris Matthews, for one. AND these same detractors fail to note one very important thing... These "newspeople" are pundits, and opinion makers; paid to espouse their own brand of bias. It's their job. The real test of "Fair-and-Balanced" is how these same networks couch the news they relate. At Fox the news is not slanted to prefer one political ideal or the other. Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, and that Olbermann guy, can't say the same. They have a definite bug up the butt for bashing President Bush at every opportunity.

The media has polarized this nation to the extent that we spend most of our time debating and jockeying for Ideological Supremacy. As a result, we fail to see the realities of life in Iraq-- or anywhere else for that matter --its factions, and it's collective hopes for the future. Iraqi's know more about how Iraqi's will react to their new constitution than do American or European talking heads.

I've touched on this before, but FEMA finally seems to have opened their eyes. It would seem some FEMA officials are shocked that some Katrina evacuees have used their hastily-issued-by-FEMA-in-a-knee-jerk-response-to-criticism $2000 relief stipends at Strip Clubs, "Oh, My!" and Package Stores, "Good Gracious!" How many lap dances will $2000 buy, I wonder?

What's incredible is Louis Farrakhan's assertion over the weekend at his "Million More-or-Less March" that the residents of The infamous 9th Ward are victims, not merely welfare recipients. These victims deserved better than for Bush to blow up the levee and flood them out so he can reshape New Orleans into a white, bright city.

President Robert Mugabe, of Zimbabwe spoke at a U.N. function in Rome to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the U.N.'s Food & Agriculture Organization. It would seem Bush and Blair are Unholy men and no better than Hitler and Mussolini. This from a dictator who steals the farms and plantations from Whites to give them to Blacks. This from the man who can't even get elected without tinkering with the process. But then he's in good company at the U.N.

The U.S. Should pull up stakes and leave the U.N. Stop paying our dues and ask them to relocate to France, Cuba, Haiti, anywhere but New York. We should then start a new world body whose membership would include only those nations with a record of...

Free and fair elections that include women & minoritiesAn established record of supporting human rightsSupporting human dignity, and personal property rightsThe right of free expressionThe freedom to worship as one chooses

I could, of course list more, but the point is, many of the rogue, semi-respectable nations that now infect the U.N., who hate America and her prosperity, would be denied inclusion. The U.N. would become irrelevant-- even more than they are now --and perhaps this New World Body could actually achieve something of lasting, decent, value.

But don't expect a lot of movement. Lawyers for the accused will immediately request more time to prepare and they're likely to get it. And, if and when Saddam is convicted and sentenced to death, don't expect that firing squad anytime soon. He'll have months, if not years of appeals-- though I highly doubt the process will rival our own.

Anyone other than Louis Farrakhan. Consider the following bit of transcript, From an interview on the Fox News Channel, Thursday, October 13, 2005:

"I was in a tiny village in Tepoztlan in Mexico on the 17th of September, 1985, and I had a vision-like experience climbing a mountain there on the top of which is a temple to the Mesoamerican Christ figure, Quetzalcoatl. And one of these little UFOs came over that mountain, and I was signaled from a group of persons to come, and I was beamed up into that small vehicle and carried to a larger vehicle where I heard the voice of my leader and teacher, the Honorable Elijah Mohammed saying these words to me. In early September, the president met with his Joint Chiefs of Staff to plan a war. He didn't tell me who the war was against or what not, but later in the next -- early in the next year, it came to me while I was in Ghana that this war was against Libya and Libya's leader, Moammar Khadafy. So I went there and warned him of what was about to take place, and it did take place."

Here's some more:

On the flooding in New Orleans:

--"I heard from a very reliable source that under that levee, there was a 25-foot hole, which suggested that it may have been blown up, so that the water would destroy the black part of town, and where the whites were, it would be dry."

Or on anti-Semitism:

--"I don’t hate Jews. I honor and respect those who try to live according to the teachings of the Torah, but you can’t criticize Jewish people. If you criticize them you are anti-Semitic. If you don’t agree with what they are doing, you are anti-Semitic."

But then, anything I say to criticize you, Mr. Farrakhan, will label me as "Prejudiced", a "Hate-Monger", and just another White man who wants to keep the Black man down.

This man is so far left of left field he's in the parking lot. Which makes him very dangerous. It saddens me to think African America regards this man as a responsible leader. A man worth following... on any march.

Unless I'm mistaken, until just recently Man has been unable to alter his DNA. When I say "unable" I mean "without ability". This is an important point because "unable" can also imply "without resource". Merely being unable to do a thing allows for any number of possibilities...

"I was unable to pick up the kids from Dance, because the Mini-Van had a flat, so I called my sister and asked her to pick them up."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have gotten you a 3 carat diamond, but I was unable to get the jeweler to extend enough credit... will you still marry me?"

Our DNA can get "damaged" through radiological means, or just by aging, but alter? I don't think so. Not in the sense that Evolution insists. So how can evolution expect me to believe it is a genuine phenomenon when, regardless of how many tricks that monkey learns, even to the point of communicating through flash cards, its DNA doesn't change? It can't pass on it's wonderful tricks through the miracle of DNA.

Now let's consider Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species". Guess when it was written? That's right, November 24th, 1859, after years of thought, speculation, and pseudo-research! Care to take a guess as to when the discovery of what would later be understood and labeled as DNA occured? Right again! 1868! By one Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biologist. And he didn't even know what he had discovered. It wasn't until the 1940's that the structure of DNA was known, or even marginally understood.

Darwin based his whole hypothesis-- and that's still what Evolution is: a Hypothesis; a Theory --on conclusions that became invalid, genetically speaking, a mere 9 years later, in terms of discovery. 80 years, as far as understanding is concerned. So how long did Darwin spend crafting his theory?

There's a number of bills here and around the world seeking to criminalize hate speech. The problem with these bills, especially in the U.S., is the potential for conflict with the concept of "Free Speech" as outlined in our Constitution. To enact such a law would first require a definition be formed; Just what is hate speech? In addition, it would curtail every Americans fundamental right to free speech.

Can you imagine the works of literature that would be banned because of such a bill? And not just works of literature; The Quran, the Bible, the Vedic Scriptures... Religion would, in effect, be stifled in a country where Freedom OF Religion is one of our founding hallmarks.

Britain is now proposing such a law-- as is the U.S. --prompted by recent attacks by Militant Islam in London. The Quran however, cannot, by its very nature, hate anything, or anyone. It only expresses the hearts of "those" who wrote it. Hate is found in the human heart, not on a page of text. The Quran is not hate speech, although its adherents use it as such.

It is such a fine line. The written word can be hate speech if it was written to be a vehicle for incitement; a means by which the writer hopes to achieve an attitude of hatred toward another person or class of persons. Any number of books meet this criteria

52 million pounds of rotting chickens from the New Orleans cold storage warehouses are being removed to a landfill for burning.

Frozen chickens, which would have made their way to Africa, Russia, and South America will instead suffer a fate worse than that of the average chicken... To have served absolutely no purpose whatsoever. It would have been better had they not even been hatched.

Assuming the average chicken weighs 4 pounds, that comes to 13 million birds. This is by far the greatest poultry disaster to occur in the United States since I began chronicling the correlation between natural disaster and the wholesale slaughter of chickens.

Ariel Sharon, desperate to establish peace between Israel and Palestine chose to believe that peace could be had by all-- He had to ignore thousands of years of history to do this.

What has transpired since Israel's handing over of Gaza to the Palestinian people? Hamas began lob-ing rockets into Israel. Not just that either. According to interviews with Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar, the plan is to begin firing Qassam rockets from the West Bank into unprotected towns and villages in Israel, while continuing the rocket campaign from Gaza. Ultimately they intend to drive Israel not only out of the West Bank and Jerusalem, but out of Israel altogether and into the sea. A bold plan, emboldened by the perception that Israel is weak, and that terror will work in achieving long-range goals provided such a campaign of terror can be sustained long enough.

The day Israel pulled out of Gaza, Egypt opened her border and left it open long enough for men and materials to flood into Gaza. al Qaida has moved in hoping to open a chapter house [so to speak] and provided monetary and technical assistance to Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. In addition, Ahmed Jibril, widely blamed for the bombing of Pan AM 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, is now planning to move to Gaza-- as he's presently somewhat-unwelcome in Lebanon.

Israel, perhaps tired and soul-weary with her decades old [insofar as her revived status as a nation] conflict has suffered a defeat. Temporarily. Ultimately, Israel will gain far more than she loses, but that's irrelevant at this point. What is relevant is that our own future is not so certain.

9-11 should have dispelled any notion that America is untouchable by foreign entities. Sadly, this isn't the case. America doesn't truly believe that Muslim Radicalism can and will make it presence increasingly known here. The "Religion of Peace" that is Islam wants us all to believe that Islam doesn't condone terrorism, but Islam won't speak out against, or rein in their adherents who support such. And since they won't we must. Muslim Radicalism stikes with impugnity against all who offend her-- Theo Van Gogh comes instantly to mind.

America doesn't need permission from anyone to defend herself. And there is no logic in waiting to be attacked first before defending ourselves. If you and a robber each have a gun pointed at each other, do you wait to be shot before firing yourself? No. You fire first and take him out. This is what's being attempted in Iraq, Afghanistan. To do otherwise is, basically "suicide by cop"-- giving the Muslims the badge, and power to effect any peace they choose. Radical Islam isn't interested in peacefully co-existing with the rest of the world. They want us dead, or effectively neutralized. Plain and simple.

Israel is in for a tough road, but she'll survive and be better for it. For us, we must shunt politics aside and stand in the gap. There are plenty of those along our southern and northern borders. Men and women are standing in the gap this very day, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Don't think that Islamic-Radicalism won't use atomic weapons if they can get hold of them-- some believe al Qaida already have nukes. If bin Laden set his sights on, and succeeded at the WTC on 9-11, what other date do we have to look forward to if he chooses to detonate a nuke on American soil?

Oprah's new crusade this year was prompted by her own experience with child rape, as well the Shasta Groene abduction earlier this summer. It would seem she was as shocked as the rest of us that Joseph Duncan was awarded a ridiculously low bail for a previous molestation in Montana. Had his bail been set higher. The Groene family might not have been murdered, and Shasta might not have had to suffer as she did.

But Oprah put her money where her mouth is, offering $100,000 of her own money for the capture of each of 8 child rapist/molesters who were currently at large. Two such captures were announced on todays Oprah Show. The people who recognized these two scum bags were on her show today accepting their reward.

2 down, 6 to go. Hopefully, Ms. Winfrey will add the names of more losers to her list of "most wanted"'s when the first eight are caught.

I received book 11 in Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" Series today-- Knife of Dreams. Amazon was kind enough to ship early enough that it would be in my mailbox this morning. I began reading-- duh! --but though I'm enjoying it immensely, I find I'm toying with the idea of putting it down.

Why! Why!! WHY would that EVER cross my mind?!?!?

Answer: I and millions of others will have to wait another 2 1/2 to 3 years for the next and final installment.

But you know I'm going to read it anyway. [Sighhh....] Again, and again, and....

I've had a run-in with Layne before at NewsBusters. He one of those lib's who can't debate an issue without resorting to name-calling. He's always busting someone's chops, and it doesn't matter what the issue is. He just get's off on it. Every one of his screeds reeks of condescension. Here then is his response to a comment I left at NewsBusters. [For the full exchange follow the link at the end of this post]

Layne (not verified) Says:October 11, 2005 - 18:10

"Personally, I'd like to see a system of compulsory service, like Israel's, instituted here: Right after graduation, or upon reaching one's 18th birthday it becomes mandatory to serve a minimum of 2 years in the military. "

Great one, jackass! You gonna see that your kids are required to do that, considering we're at war?

And I know you're not expecting your fellow cowards to back you up on that idea. That's why they're writing on blogs instead of "defending freedom." We on the left call them "Yellow Elephants" (adamantly defending a war they wouldn't be caught dead fighting).

That was a good laugh for the day, though. Thanks!

Hahaha...

Naturally, I had to respond. I wanted to avoid the name-calling, but... he started it. And I finished it.

I've come across your screeds here before, Layne. All you manage to do here is bandy insults, without substance. Bray all you want like the "jackass" you are, nothing you say can touch me or anyone else here. You have proven yourself to be intellectually deficient, and unwilling to get your hands dirty, unless it's to paint silly protest signs that both denegrate the service honest soldiers have provided-- often in sacrifice, as well as demonstrate your ignorance of the niceties involved in maintaining our freedoms. But you'll laugh at that, and I don't care at this point. I already know who you are, and I'm content to thank the soldiers who do serve, in your name. You have what you have because of them.

16th century master stategist Miyamoto Musashi, wrote,

"know the ways of all professions"

You mock what you don't understand, which, as any military man worth his salt will tell you, will get you killed. You should always attempt to know your enemy better than your enemy knows himself. Since you know next to nothing about what makes a conservative tick. You lose hands down, and you always will.

Beyond this comment you are not worth my time and effort to respond further. You sir, are a buffoon.

Finally, as promised, I would like to thank all of our service men and women, in the line of fire, in support of same, or at home tending families waiting for the safe return of loved ones. And Layne thanks you too. He'd do it himself if he... but then again, he wouldn't; which is why I'm doing it for him. Sometimes you have to lead these children by the hand.

Thank you all, and may God richly bless you.

Now, I'm quite sure Layne will respond. And as I stated in my response, "I don't care." I already know all I need to know about Layne. I just thought someone might get a kick out of the exchange.

The primary focus of this article is the ruling by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, which releases for public consumption, "all remaining photos of prisoner abuse by Americans at Abu Ghraib prison." No good can come of this decision, but then this Clinton appointee isn't interested in what's good for America.

"Thanks to this decision by one judge, we are in for another orgy of anti-Americanism in the foreign and domestic news media and another propaganda victory for those who murder people trying to vote, place bombs in tourist hotels and slaughter innocent human beings like sheep."

"That Americans will be killed as a result of a judge's decision to release photos is of no consequence to the Left. Indeed, for the ACLU, release of the photos is a victory precisely because it does weaken American ability to fight Islamic terrorists."

"...this was just another week of harm to a great civilization by barbarians inside the gates."

A teacher in Norway is asked to not wear the Star of David for fear of insulting Muslims?

Are [we] so afraid of Muslims and the violence they may wreak that the rest of the population should walk, head bowed & humbled, forfeiting [our] basic human rights to simply appease the peaceful religion of Islam?

NO! Don't do it!! If Muslims are offended, too bad! I'm offended every time a follower the peaceful religion of Islam cheers and dances about the corpse[s] of [a] westerner[s]. I'm offended every time a follower of that peaceful religion does not stand up and speak out against members of their own flock who daily commit the horrendous atrocities we see on the news! I am offended every time a westerner is beheaded simply because he is a westerner! I am offended every time I hear of a Muslim woman beaten or stoned! I am offended by the peaceful religion of Islam!

There are two beliefs going around that defies rational, critical thought:

1) Conservatives wish to establish a theocracy in America2) Muslims could never set up a theocratic rule in America

As to the first...

Based on the first amendment in our Constitution, this is an impossibility. Even if Conservatives wanted to create a theocracy here-- which they don't --they couldn't. Not without an amendment to the constitution which they could never get, especially in today's climate of irrational fear, and brought on by an uneducated public-- a fact fully exploited by the MSM.

As to the second...

Islam is not a religion of peace. It's history is rife with brutality, the subjugation of women, and the outright murder of infidels, or unbelievers. Christianity has such moments too, but these moments, for the most part, were and are perpetrated by heretics of the faith, liars, thieves, who care nothing for the Truth of God. But Islam has always been a perversion. Always war-like. Always world-domination oriented... And always by the sword.

There are people in this country who think Islam could never conquer America, that Sharia Law could never be instituted here. And that is a foolish belief to stand upon. 60+ years ago America recognized Hitler's desire for domination, and rose up against him. Does anyone believe that if Hitler had gained the Atom Bomb he would not have used it? In Europe, and in America? This was a recognized truth in America... then.

But America has grown soft; complacent in her belief that nothing and no one can touch her, or truly cripple her. The idea that she could be invaded is deemed a ridiculous impossibility. Especially by those crackpot muslims in their 3rd world hovels. Perish the thought!!! But give those same crackpot muslims a few nukes and then we'll see just how ridiculously impossible it is for the inhabitants of 3rd world hovels to stike a crippling blow to America, invade, and then conquer.

Hollywood has no business telling anyone what is or isn't plausible. They create fiction for a living, and the idea that America is not strong enough to repell terrorist threats is simply not in the script of their reality. Simply put, for the most part, they are out of touch with reality.

1,900+ troops dead in the War on Terror is too high a price to pay? When Rambo and Schwarzenegger could kill them all with just a few token, though regretable, casualties? Truth is always more insidious than fiction, because it is always unexpectedly blatant and uncaring.

More than 1,900 troops died in preparation for D-Day. More than 1,900 troops died on opening day at Iwo Jima... At Gettysburg... Waterloo... The media does us all a disservice by not pointing these facts out. They, like Hollywood, would have us believe that victory is a mere skirmish away. And polititians scream "Quagmire!" every time we suffer a setback. If Vietnam was lost, it was lost by the media, and the politians, not by the men who fought bravely and died.

Media is obsessed with painting America as the problem not the cure. Who made them the sole arbiters of perception?

We did. And it's time to take it back. We decide, not the idiots in front of the camera who would rather their camera's were pointed at America's failures than her successes. These people are cowards.

That's not to say we shouldn't look at Abu Graib. American's are, after all, only human, and subject to the weaknesses we all have in common. But to point at America's mistakes in a blatantly unapologetic effort to see her sullied and begrimed in the eyes of the rest of the world, is, quite simply, criminal. And treasonous.

Islam doesn't want peace with America. Islam wants America dead. It's time to pull out heads out of our collective asses, and begin to work as one unified nation. We've done it before and won, though at great cost to ourselves. It can be done again if we'll simply wake up! Yes, the cost will again be high, but what of the alternative? Do we really want to go there?

Want to see/learn a bit about what Islam has in mind for this nation, and the world? Check out ISLAMIC REPUBLIC'S CRIMES. It's just one of many sites that chronicle the atrocities of Islam.

The new death toll in Southern Asia [assuming such toll can be regarded as accurate] has just been upped to 18 thousand, with 41 thousand injured.

Why so many? Can you say, "Building Codes"? That, coupled with 3rd world status and poorer living conditions, and the result is the devastation being beamed around the world even now. The tragedy is not God's preference of one group of people over another. The real tragedy is being able to watch the tele and not recognize ourselves in the shell-shocked people digging through the rubble.

If you can't see your own face super-imposed on the suffering faces of these survivors, there's something fundamentally wrong with you.

Glory be to God, The most Holy God of Heaven! The stamp of thy foot Upon the lands of the infidel Muslims Heartens your righteous servants, The children of God, through Christ our Lord!

Praise to God in the Highest! Praise to Christ His son! Let us not be faint in the presence of His spirit. Let us smash the heathen Muslims Who seek to destroy the faithful, The true followers of God Almighty.The only God, our Lord!

Your foot did stamp And the mountains shook! Your foot did stamp, And the valleys quaked! Your foot did stamp And the people were crushed Beneath thy righteous anger!

Let your righteous anger crush The children of SatanLet your righteous anger humble The arrogance of IslamLet your righteous anger chasten The souls of the unrepentantLet thy will be done!

God, our father, What a mighty blow You have struck against our enemies!Lead us to peace, Oh God Lead us to righteousnessWhere no evil dwells Lead us to victory, Oh GodAgainst the Infidel Muslims!

Praise be to God!

---

Islamofacism can point to God as the source of natural disaster, and rightly so; God is in control of all things. But what of the arrogance of claiming natural disasters as evidence of God favor? Does America deserve punishment for turning her back on God? Without a doubt. Does our punishment imply God's favor toward Islam? Not hardly. A hammer is just a hammer; a tool to be used, and then set aside when it is useful no more. There is nothing righteous about Islam. Anyone with even a modicum of discernment can see Islam for what it is: A perversion. A particularly dangerous perversion at that.

Personal Note: I wonder what consequences I'll face for this post? I wonder if I'll go the way of Theo Van Gogh because of it?

You can't blame a man for wanting to defend the poor and downtrodden. Nor can you condemn a man for speaking out against injustice. You can, however, blame and condemn a man for the fabrication of lies, and the instigation of violence resulting in death. The "Reverend" Al Sharpton is guilty of all these, and a hate-monger of the worst kind.

I have always felt distaste for Al Sharpton; not for the color of his skin, but rather the ignorance that seems to flow so freely from his mouth. I may live in the South. I may have spent much of my life in the South. But thank Heaven my formative years were spent overseas, as a child of the military, where racism-- at least in my family --was simply not tolerated. My earliest recollection of hearing the term "nigger" was when I was at least thirteen, in a middle-school that was predominately black [the Military has a penchant for integrating its children into the most "culturally rich" schools in the community]. And I was the target of racist behavior. Not because I stuttered, which I did with unthinking and embarrassing ease, but because of the color of my skin.

Last year I discovered "The Neal Boortz Radio Show" and his weblog Boortz.com/Nuze. Not being one to take the word of any one individual, I chose instead to find out for myself just who and what the real Al Sharpton is.

For context, here is the passage from Boortz/Nuze, the impetus for my own research: The 3rd item down entitled "Slime on the Podium", Dated April 30, 2004.

Maybe Sharpton can use this speech to apologize to Steve Pagones. Sharpton accused Pagones, a prosecutor, of raping Tawana Brawley. Pagones later sued Sharpton and was awarded $345,000. Sharpton has yet to apologize for his role in the Brawley affair, and his unfounded and slanderous accusations against Pagones and others.

While Sharpton's on a roll, maybe he can apologize to the family of Yankel Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum was surrounded and stabbed to death by a Brooklyn mob shouting "kill the Jews." The crowd had been whipped into a frenzy by Al Sharpton railing against "diamond merchants" with "the blood of innocent babies" on their hands. What was this all about? A young black child was killed in a traffic accident. A Jew was driving the car that killed him.

Sharpton can finish by apologizing to the families of the seven employees of Freddy's Fashion Mart in Harlem. Freddy's, you see, was owned by a white Jew. The owner of Freddy's rents his space from a black landlord. He then rents a small portion of his space to a music store owned by a black man. The black landlord raises the rent on Freddy's Fashion Mart. This means that the owner of Freddy's, the white Jew, must raise the rent on the black man who owns the record store. Enter Al Sharpton. Sharpton starts leading demonstrations. He screams to the crowd that "We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business." Sharpton's mob starts yelling "Burn down the Jew store!" and "We're going to see that this cracker suffers." A protester enters the store. He warns all black customers to get out and then shoots four employees point-blank, then sets a fire. Seven employees dead. Sharpton owes them an apology.

When I first read this I was more than a little shocked. I mean, I never heard any of this on any MSM outlet. I remembered the news items themselves, but not any of the underlying idiocy on Mr. Sharpton's part; Only that he was a "civil rights leader". Instead, the MSM praised him incessantly, and they continue to do so.

Here are a few corroborating articles that support Mr. Boortz claims.

The Worst of Al SharptonA troubling tale from his past. Is it true?By William Saletan, Ben Jacobs, and Avi ZenilmanMonday, Sept. 8, 2003

Granted: The "Reverend" Al Sharpton has as many supporters as detractors on the internet. But when trying to determine the truth for one's self it becomes necessary to set aside praise and demogoguery, both, and look instead at the facts surrounding the cases in point. And the truth remains that in each case, had Mr. Sharpton not been the point man, spouting what many today consider hate-speech, Yankel Rosenbaum, and the seven employees of Freddy's Fashion Mart would not be dead. It is not against the law to speak one's mind in public, and loudly. It is, however, against the law to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater. It is also reprehensible in light of the death and mayhem such actions inevitably cause.

Mr. Sharpton [ for I cannot in good conscious call him "reverend" ] may indeed be well-intentioned in his quest to obtain equality for Blacks in America; a ridiculous quest in that Blacks have as much-- and more --opportunity than Whites in America. But Mr. Sharpton won't be happy until America pays every single Black in America compensatory wages for suffering the indignity of Slavery in America, nevermind the fact that not a single black in America today has ever suffered under the oppressive yolk of slavery, unless you wish to include the American Welfare System.

Yes, 4 New York policemen shot and killed Amadou Diallo. But that was the ignorance and stupidity of 4 individuals, not the policy of the New York City Police Department.

The "Reverend" Sharpton, however, sees devils in every doorknob, a racist in every whiteman, a thief and degenerate in every Jew. He is, along with a few other choice individuals, a liar, and a hate-monger, with blood on his hands. Plain and Simple.

Why anyone would take this man seriously on issues of Race, and Equality is beyond my ability to comprehend. And I'm pretty damn sharp.

"Often, our hypocrisies go unseen by us. For it is easier to see hypocrisy in others than in ourselves." --ELAshley.

Which is why the Media cannot see its own hypocrisies. The problem, however, is not that Media is hypocritical, but that when enlightened to it, they become irrational in defense of said hypocrisies, to the point that they will excuse themselves while condemning all others. In effect, they dig their hypocritical holes deeper with each shovel full...

"By referring to the people of New Orleans as vicious savages, the media did more to stereotype minorities and destroy race relations in this country than Bill Bennett ever did."

The preceding was from a post by Mithridate Ombud at NewsBusters. Judging by the name, this post does not appear to have been written by a legitimate journalist. A point which is irrelevant. I should take it out, but, per my own rules, there shall be no backspacing.

"One of the many negative consequences of America's defeat in the Vietnam War has been the uncontrolled proliferation of Vietnams since then. Nicaragua threatened to become another Vietnam. Lebanon nearly became another Vietnam. Had Grenada been only slightly larger than a manhole cover and lasted one more hour, it would have become a Caribbean-Style Vietnam. The invasion of Panama was rapidly degenerating into a Narco-Vietnam, right up until we won. Likewise, the First Gulf War was certainly developing into another Vietnam, but then sadly, it ended quickly and with few casualties. For people of a certain age or political stripe, Vietnam is like Elvis: it's everywhere. For example, during a long wait at a Chinese Buffet in Georgetown in 1987, Ted Kennedy was reported to have exclaimed 'QUAGMIRE!' and attempted to surrender to a Spanish-speaking busboy. And that was probably the smart thing to do, because the lesson of Vietnam is: it is best to lose quickly, so as to avoid a quagmire... If you liked what our quick, casualty-saving withdrawal from Somalia did for us at the Khobar Towers, at our embassies in East Africa, at the waterline of the U.S.S. Cole, and at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, then you'll love what a quick 'casualty-saving' withdrawal from Iraq will do for us for the next twenty years. It'll finally make you stop worrying about Vietnam."

--Mac Johnson

When will America tire of the Left's aversion for getting their hands bloody? ...er, dirty!